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Kolna's Organs
Kolna's Organs, also known as the Kolna System, is a collective term for a system of metaphysical "organs" discovered by the Archmage Kolna Micaedus in 69 PrS. Kolna's Organs are a fundamental subject in most mainstream magical sects, as they allow people to perform magic by absorbing, converting, and channeling the ambient Chaff found in the surrounding environment. There are three organs: Kolna's Lung, Kolna's Heart, and Kolna's Threads. Kolna's Lung A metaphysical “lung” that absorbs Chaff from the surrounding environment as one would inhale oxygen. Though present in all sentient beings, it is dormant unless awakened by a specific ritual spell. However, magi with above-average potential/talent are born with this “lung” active, as well as with a far superior capacity to those that were awakened manually. This has brought forth the notion that the average Kolna’s Lung is actually very weak, and is dormant due to its poor quality, the equivalent of a still-born baby. The lung’s maximum capacity/quality is determined at birth, and cannot be augmented by mortal means. The factors that determine its quality are not quite yet known, but there do exist several theories, some of which cite evidence of genetic factors, while others suggest a high concentration of Chaff in the environment where the mother spends her pregnancy/lays her eggs will stimulate the lung to develop properly. There is no absolute proof of either yet, but present consensus is that both have some influence over its quality. The amount of Chaff that a Kolna’s Organ can accommodate varies greatly between individual members of a species, but when the comparison goes to species, the distinctions appear to be more evident. Human magi can range anywhere from ten (low) to fifteen hundred (providentially blessed) units of Chaff, give or take a few extra units, while the Yinis-Mah of the J'bieri are estimated to have capacities up to ten times as much. This information is important because only Chaff encased within the organ can be used to cast spells. Kolna's Heart A metaphysical “heart” that takes Chaff stored in Kolna’s Lung and pumps it into Kolna’s Threads, which facilitate the conversion process from raw Chaff into energy for a spell. While Kolna’s Lung determines how much Chaff can be stored within a mage at any given time, Kolna’s Heart determines how quickly it can be converted into fuel for a spell, and thus, a mage’s utmost limits in casting speed. As with the Lung, the heart’s beat-rate is determined at birth, and cannot be augmented by mortal means. It goes to say, that gifted magi are also born with an already-active heart. Kolna's Threads A metaphysical “circulatory system” through which Chaff is channeled, facilitating its conversion from raw power into fuel for spells. Most average magi will have the threads running through a particular section of their body. The section in question determines through where a spell can be cast. As an example, a mage with the threads running through his arms to his fingers will allow him to throw energy balls by hand, and such, while a mage with threads running through his legs to his toes can enhance the speed at which he runs. Neither of them can do what the other can, as the threads do not run in that particular direction. Quality and quantity of threads are also important in determining the power of a spell. See the analogy of the water tank (Lung) and the faucet (Threads). No matter how large the tank, the size and number of the faucets determines how much water becomes available at once. The number and quality of threads running through a person determine the maximum amount of Chaff that he can expend at any given time. It is natural to think that a few low-quality threads will result in a relatively low cap, allowing the mage to cast only cheap spells. Various sects have developed various methods over the millennia to compensate for such deficiencies, either to maximize the Chaff available, or to attack the problem directly. In the case of the former, creating spells that concentrate entirely on a single area, like offense, thus allowing the greatest possible damage accessible to a mage. In the case of the latter, some rarer spells are designed as indirect castings, that is to say, little spells that cast greater spells by tapping into the surrounding ambient Chaff field. Without the limits of a mage’s metanatomy, the spell can potentially grow so powerful that it can spend all the Chaff in a specific area in a single casting. These latter Indirect Action spells are frequently kept as a sect’s most heavily-guarded secret. There are some cases where the threads run through the entire body. In these situations, either their quality or quantity will be lackluster, and the mage will either way be incapable of casting Direct Action spells like fireballs. The best he can hope to cast are Direct Support spells, such as buffs that enhance physical abilities, as these are generally cheap while being efficient. This has resulted in a more physically-inclined class of pseudo-mage that actually fits in nicely with regular warriors. See also Kolna Micaedus Chaff Category:Metaphysics Category:Magic